By our Reporter
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, on Thursday inaugurated the State Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 general elections, charging members to immediately commence consultations, grassroots mobilisation and sustained engagement with voters across the state.
Abiodun, who is Chairman of the Campaign Council, said the inauguration marked the beginning of a new phase in the party’s preparations for the elections, directing members to translate the council’s organisational structure into effective action across the state’s 20 local government areas, 236 wards and polling units.
The governor charged the council to work for the success of all APC candidates, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, his running mate, Alhaja Kudirat Adegunwa-Balogun, as well as the party’s candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Abeokuta, Abiodun directed members to hold their inaugural meeting immediately and commence consultations and campaign activities without delay.
“Let consultations and campaign now begin,” he declared.
The governor said elections were not won merely through political reputation or the size of rallies, but through “scientific, deliberate and intentional preparation, organisation, vigilance and sustained engagement with the electorate.”
He urged members of the campaign council to take the APC message to markets, farms, workplaces, religious communities, professional associations, neighbourhoods and homes, stressing that effective mobilisation must involve listening to the people and understanding their concerns.
“Our campaign must be based on ideas, achievements and a credible vision. We must reach every Local Government Area, ward, polling unit and community,” he said.
He called for unity and discipline within the party, saying the ability of the APC to manage competing interests during the processes that produced its candidates demonstrated the importance of putting the collective interest above individual considerations.
“Unity is not the absence of differences. It is the wisdom to ensure that our differences do not become greater than our common cause,” he said.
Abiodun said the campaign council brings together party leaders, strategists, professionals and grassroots organisers from across the three senatorial districts, with committees responsible for strategy, mobilisation, reconciliation, finance, security, media, youth and women engagement, welfare, transportation, digital communication, protocol, as well as traditional and religious affairs.
He cautioned members against treating their appointments as mere titles, saying membership of the council carried a responsibility requiring discipline, strategic thinking and humility.
“These appointments are not decorative titles. They are instruments of service and responsibility,” he said.
The governor charged the campaign organisation to effectively communicate the achievements of his administration in infrastructure, education, agriculture, healthcare, security, investment promotion and social intervention.
He noted that the Gateway International Airport remained central to the state’s vision of developing an integrated aviation, agriculture, industrial and logistics hub, while other interventions had contributed to improving the business environment and positioning Ogun as a leading industrial and investment destination.
“These are not abstract promises. They are visible on our roads, in our schools and hospitals, in our agricultural communities and in businesses expanding across our state,” Abiodun said.
He warned that achievements could be misunderstood if they were not properly communicated, urging the campaign council to counter misinformation with facts, humility and clarity.
“Good work that is not effectively explained may be misunderstood, while falsehood repeated without challenge may begin to appear credible,” he said.
The governor further directed the campaign organisation to operate as one coordinated political machinery, with leaders providing direction, committees translating strategy into action and grassroots structures sustaining engagement with voters.
He warned against factionalism, indiscipline and sabotage, stressing the need for proper reporting, early identification of challenges and prompt resolution of emerging issues.
The governorship candidate, Adeola, in keeping with the governor’s call for an inclusive grassroots campaign, urged party members across the state to regard the 2027 election as a collective responsibility and assured those whose names were not included in the campaign council that they remained part of the party’s mobilisation structure.
He stressed that the campaign council was established to provide coordination and direction, rather than to exclude other members of the party, urging all APC members to remain active in their wards and local government areas.
Adeola called for sustained consultations and grassroots engagement, urging party members to take the party’s message to communities and work collectively for all APC candidates, from the presidential election to the governorship and legislative contests.
He said the party would provide the necessary coordination and support to strengthen mobilisation across the state, while urging members to remain united and focused on the common objective.
Abiodun also charged APC members to maintain issue-based and civil communication throughout the campaign, rejecting insults, violence and intimidation.
“Political victory loses its value when purchased at the expense of peace, because leadership cannot build upon the ruins of a divided society,” he said.
The governor expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his leadership and partnership with Ogun State through the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He also acknowledged the contributions of former governors Olusegun Osoba, Gbenga Daniel and Ibikunle Amosun; former Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola; Deputy Governor Noimot Salako-Oyedele; APC State Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi; Adeola; Adegunwa-Balogun; Director-General of the Campaign Council, Senator Lekan Mustapha; and other party leaders.
Earlier, former Ogun State Governor and APC National Leader, Chief Olusegun Osoba, urged members of the party to close ranks, present a united front and work collectively for the success of the APC in the 2027 elections.
Osoba appealed to aggrieved members to “shield their swords” and work for the party, assuring them that their contributions would not be in vain.
He urged party members to put the interests of the APC above personal grievances and ensure that the campaign council remained focused on its mandate.
Abiodun thereafter formally declared the campaign council inaugurated and charged members to commence work immediately towards the party’s objectives in the 2027 general elections.
“Let us speak with one voice, work with one purpose and march in one direction,” he said.
